


Dashed Hopes and Empty Hearts

by Xole



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Attraction, Crush at First Sight, Drama, Drinking, Emotional, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Engagement, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, Falling In Love, First Time, I Don't Even Know, I'm Sorry, Inspired by Yuri!!! on Ice, Love, Lovers, M/M, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Misunderstandings, Please Don't Hate Me, Regret, Romance, Secret Crush, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Surprises, Tension, Trauma, What Have I Done, Yuri Plisetsky is a Brat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-04-08
Packaged: 2018-10-16 07:54:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10566930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xole/pseuds/Xole
Summary: Yuuri Katsuki has always loved figure skating, but his interest peaked when he discovered Viktor Nikiforov in his first year of Junior international competitions. He was immediately drawn to him and would be drawn to him for the rest of his life.This fanfiction follows Yuuri and Viktor's figure skating careers through all the love, heartbreaks, despair and trauma that may be involved.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is the first chapter of my new series "Dashed Hopes and Empty Hearts".  
> I really hope you enjoy it.  
> As it progresses, things will pick up and characters will develop.  
> 

Yuuri had been skating his whole life. Since he was little, he had felt a love for the ice. It wasn’t a “oh, I like skating” kind of love, no. It was a relying on, depending on, completely trusting love. One where, if it was ever taken from him, he would be hollow and empty. He loved the way the ice shimmered in the dulled lights that hung from the ceiling of Ice Castle. They casted moving shadows on the ice, since the old fans blew with uncertainty high above the rink. It was true that Ice Castle was no longer in the best condition; not many children skated anymore. It had become a dying sport over the years. Yuuri’s love still stood strong though, he spent night after night drifting across the frozen surface, alone with his thoughts and the only sound would be the skimming of his black skates. He watched the rink spin as he launched himself in the air time after time until he got the jump perfect. Yuuri’s strength was his stamina, and he knew that. It was obvious to everyone around him too, they would watch him with his coach practicing numerous quad toeloops. Yuuko, Yuuri and Takashi had all skated together when they were younger and inexperienced. Yuuri hadn’t taken skating very seriously and always treated it as a hobby rather than his life. He still loved the ice, but not in such a strong matter; not until he saw Viktor Nikiforov skate, at least.

Yuuri was twelve years old. Him and Yuuko sat in an empty corner of Ice Castle, sharing a to-go box of katsudon that his mother had made that morning. Together, they were staring at an old, flickering TV that required constant antenna adjusting to get a semi-clear image of what was playing on the dull screen. Yuuko had introduced him to the world of competitive figure skating a few years back, when he was only nine years old and was finally able to guide himself around the edge of the rink, yet still holding tightly to the boards. His initial reaction hadn’t been the best, he found it slightly boring to watch the few qualifiers dance on the ice. Yuuri didn’t quite understand the purpose then, but yet again, he was only nine years old. His dance teacher, Minako, had urged him to try figure skating since he loved ballet so much. He fell in love with the ice nearly as quickly as he did ballet. There was something about the feeling of the cold air rushing over his bare arms that he couldn’t get enough of. He even enjoyed falling and feeling the freezing ice melt from his body heat and dampen his clothing. At first his parents had tried to coax him into wearing warm clothing, but Yuuri refused. They took him shopping, shoving every jacket and sweater they could in his direction. Ones with all of his favourite characters were sought out and ordered online but still he resisted. Eventually they gave up and he was never happier; he enjoyed the cool breeze of the ice and never found himself feeling cold. He had been completely zoned out, thinking about the past and how he grew to love skating, when Yuuko let out a gasp. Her attention fixed to the screen, Yuuri drew his eyes to where she was looking. Out on the ice was a male he had never seen before, a first time competitor. He had long, silver hair that shone in the lights and swirled around his body with every movement. Sparkling gemstones matching his hair colour glittered down the side of his black bodysuit and a short skirt-like piece of fabric hung from one side, complimenting the entire look. He did a few laps around the ice, smiling beautifully and waving to all the fans roaring out his name. The skater seemed to be well known yet Yuuri had no idea who he was. There was a gleam in the boy’s eyes filled with such passion, passion Yuuri had never seen before. Yuuri was immediately drawn to this beautiful being. His heart tugged in his chest as he took his place in the middle of the rink. His arms were raised in a feminine manner as his hot breath could been seen in the frozen air. The arena was silent as everyone waited for his performance to start but Yuuri knew it had started the second the boy glided onto the ice. A soft melody began playing and his body sprung to life. One foot after another, gliding seamlessly, he captivated everyone watching. He worked his way through his routine at a perfect pace. This was talent like no one had ever seen before. He started off with subtle jumps before working his way up to triple axels and quad salchows near the end of the performance. The music would spike in volume and he would fly off the ice and land another perfect move. The audience was dead silent watching the young boy. Once again the melody softened and he made his final few spins before finishing in the middle. He was breathing heavy and sweat dripped from his forehead, dampening his hair. Yuuri was unaware of the tear slipping down his cheek until Yuko gained his attention and pointed it out. Embarrassed, Yuuri wiped it away with his sleeve before resting his eyes upon the screen once again to read out the name of the skater. He waited anxiously as the seconds ticked by. Finally, his name, along with his score, showed in big bold letters. He had a beautiful name to pair with a beautiful grace. He was Viktor Nikiforov, a Russian skater. 

When the Junior Prix ended Viktor had placed second. It was his first year competing internationally, and the fans absolutely adored him. To place that highly in your first year was practically unheard of. Yuuri rushed home as soon as the scores had been announced, leaving Yuuko shocked at the rink. On the run home he realized he forgot his katsudon box but he had bigger concerns at the moment. He was eager to tell his parents and do as much research into the boy as he possibly could. He slipped in through the front door of his home, which was also a public hot spring. Yuuri searched the house for his mother and ran into her greeting arms once found. Hiroko was shocked when she found herself holding a sobbing Yuuri. He rubbed his face into the crook of her arm, seeking comfort. She knew her son well and knew that at times like this he needed nothing other than to be hugged. There was no way of her knowing what was wrong but something like this had happened many times before whether it be from mean kids at school or failing a jump time after time.

After a few minutes, Yuuri had calmed down somewhat, and leaned his head up towards Hiroko’s caring face. She searched his eyes, looking for any hint of sadness or pain, but found none. Yuuri was smiling. He was more than smiling, he was _glowing_. His cheeks flushed a light pink and there were wet lines trailing from his eyes down to his chin. They exchanged no words, yet Hiroko knew that there was no need for her to worry. She smiled gently at him.  
“How about some Katsudon, my Yuuri?” she asked. Yuuri simply nodded, reluctantly pulling away and stepping backwards. 

Later that night Yuuri fell asleep at his desk with his laptop still open and his head resting gently on the keys. Displayed on the screen was a website dedicated to competitive skaters with Viktor Nikiforov’s face shining brightly from the top margin followed by his name in cursive black lettering. Listed underneath was everything to be known about the junior silver place medalist. Yuuri had learned everything he could; he absorbed information about the sixteen year old Russian skater as if his life depended on it, learning about his hometown, life, family, past, pets (he had a beautiful poodle named Makkachin), and absolutely everything else he could find. He had felt such inspiration watching the older boy skate that day. Yuuri had decided that one day, he wanted to skate like Viktor. He wanted to skate with Viktor. 

When Yuuri turned 13 a few months after discovering Viktor, he had asked his parents for a poodle. They were reluctant at first; dogs are a lot of work. After thoroughly thinking it through however they allowed it. Hiroko had thought it would be a good idea for Yuuri to have something to he responsible for. Yuuri was a lonely child. He didn't get along with anyone in school, and spent all of his time dancing alone in Minako’s studio or at Ice Castle with Yuuko. Those two were his only friends. Yuuri took comfort in having the two of them around. If anything was ever wrong he headed to them first. Yuuko would grab his hands and drag him onto the ice, practicing pair skating to silly music until both were laughing so hard they couldn't stay on their feet anymore. It always helped Yuuri and he was forever grateful to her. Minako was like a second mother to Yuuri. She was older than even Hiroko but didn't look it. At one point she had traveled the world as a dancer. Though she drank profusely she had a great figure and practically no age lines. 

The morning of his birthday Yuuri woke up to the sound of barking at his door followed by Hiroko gently opening it to wake him up. She had a cupcake in hand, with one blue candle flickering on top. Sometime overnight his family had snuck into his room and littered balloons on the floor, which Hiroko kicked when walking in, and hung streamers from his door and closet. In Japanese she wished him a happy birthday and sat down on the edge of his bed. A little brown ball of fluff bounced into his room, tongue hanging out of its mouth and ears flapping with every jump. Yuuri reached out to grab the small dog and pulled him tightly to his chest. The dog wiggled in protest to being held but eventually gave up and licked a long line down Yuuri’s flushed cheeks. He didn’t put the puppy down again until he took notice of a balloon and lurched out his arms. He ended up popping it with his sharp puppy teeth which made him jump and made both Hiroko and Yuuri look at each other and giggle.

For the rest of the day Yuuri couldn't keep a grin off of his face. His mother and him had headed downstairs to greet his father and his sister, Mari. Waiting for him was a large bowl of katsudon with a mug of his favourite steamy green tea with just enough honey to have a little bit of sweetness. Normally he wouldn't eat this for breakfast but today was a big day. Not only was it his birthday but it was also his first official year as a teenager. Yuuri looked forward to what was to come this year. His next birthday, he would be able to qualify for the international junior competitions. He wanted nothing more than that. However his luck would lead Viktor to be in the senior division by the time he was able to enter the Juniors. With Viktor’s stunning performance and silver place medal, he was nearly guaranteed to win gold and move up this coming year. 

Yuuri ate his Katsudon while his family sat around the table telling him stories from past birthdays and showing him pictures from when he was a baby, which he had seen many times before. Still, he smiled through it all. Occasionally he would sneak pieces of pork down to his new best friend. His parents would give him a scornful but joking look with every chunk the puppy practically inhaled.  
“Do you know what you want to call him?” Hiroko asked in regards to the poodle. Yuuri had to pause for a minute, eyes shining in the way they did when he was thinking deeply. His parents knew this look very well. Suddenly, Yuuri’s face lit up, and he said with confidence,  
“How about Vicchan?”. Hiroko smiled and nodded. Mari giggled, knowing that he chose that name in recognition of the older boy he recently fell in love with. Ever since Yuuri came home that day he had talked about Viktor Nikiforov constantly. He nagged for posters and merchandise and soon enough his room turned into a shrine for the older skater. Viktor was the first and last thing Yuuri saw every day. For some reason his parents never questioned this or found it even remotely odd. They simply supported him. Later on in life Yuuri realized how much having supportive parents helped lead him on the path he was on.

Later that day, after lunch, Hiroko and Toshiya pulled Yuri aside and asked him to go to Ice Castle for a few hours while they baked his cake. In their family it was a tradition that you couldn’t see your cake until it was finished and living in an Onsen made it difficult for Yuuri to stay out of the kitchen. He happily agreed and bounded up the stairs to grab his skating bag and water bottle. 

He slipped on his shoes at the front door and stepped outside. It was a cold day but still the birds were out and the sun shone brightly. Yuuri’s breath was visible in the chilling air as he made his way out the front gate and down the bridge towards Ice Castle, thinking back fondly on how his birthday had started out. He was so grateful for his new best friend and would be sure to thank his parents once again when he arrived home. When he reached the arena he took the few steps up and stepped through the automatic door. Yuuko was of course waiting for him just inside with a badly wrapped present in hand and a grin on her pretty face.  
“Yuuri, happy birthday!” She announced upon him entering. She bounded over to him and shoved the gift into his hands. Yuuri gave her a half smile before gently peeling back the tape and newspaper to reveal a handmade heart frame covered in pink glitter filled with pictures of Viktor Nikiforov. Shyly she tucked her hands behind her back and said “I really hope you like it, I made it myself.” causing Yuuri to blush a light pink.  
“Yuuko, I love it… Thank you, so much” he smiled sweetly as she closed the few steps between them and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He hesitated for only a second before placing his hands around her waist. Normally he would be uncomfortable with anyone touching him other than his parents but this was Yuuko and it felt natural. Yuuri of course had a small crush on the older girl but never told her though he was sure Mari had noticed. She noticed everything, it was annoying.  
“Now hurry up and get in there. There’s a surprise waiting for you.” she stepped back and gleamed. 

As soon as Yuuri entered the rink he noticed something different. There was nothing booked at this time, and so he took times like this to practice alone. However, today, standing in the middle of the room was an older man wearing joggers and a blue sweatshirt. His hair was thinning and was a dark grey with no facial hair and bushy eyebrows. Yuuri guessed he was probably in his 50’s. Confused, he walked out to the borders and the man noticed him. He skated over and stopped short of the edge. His skates appeared old and well-loved. It was apparent that he had been skating for many many years.  
“Are you Yuuri”? He asked. Yuuri nodded shyly. He clenched his hands around the edge of the boards and shuffled his feet, avoiding eye contact. “My name is Makoto Takahashi and starting today I’m your coach.”.

That evening, after practice with his new coach and all the birthday excitement, Yuuri lay in his small, cozy bed with one arm draped across his forehead and the other lying at his side. Vicchan was nestled at his feet snoring softly. A smile appeared on Yuuri’s face when he thought about the events of the day. It was really happening, he was really going to compete internationally. Takahashi had gone over requirements for the competitions and how everything would be organized which excited Yuuri. He looked forward to next year when he could enter. This year would be mostly about refining the moves Yuuri could already do and possibly expanding his hand by adding another triple jump in. A small content sigh escaped his lips when he fully settled and relaxed. He closed his eyes and let his breathing even out as he drifted into sleep, still smiling.

**Author's Note:**

> I kind of hope I spelled everything right? I've been writing this off and on for like a week now, oops.


End file.
